Georgia’s ruling party official labels opposition activist’s Russia visits as hypocrisy

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s parliamentary faction, on Friday described opposition activist Teona Baghdavadze’s reported visits to Russia as evidence of hypocrisy, stating that such figures condemn actions they themselves carry out and “feed off” the resulting attention and privileges.

Machavariani responded to reports that Baghdavadze has visited Russia three times since the August 2008 war.

According to Georgian domestic media outlet PrimeTime, her first trip occurred less than three years after the conflict, and she confirmed one visit to Moscow was for a relative’s funeral.

The official noted that opposition activists publicly condemn actions that they themselves engage in, describing them as “fake, pseudo-liberal, far-left activists”.

“They are hypocrites. They talk about something as if it were morally unimaginable to them, and then it turns out that they do exactly what they say is morally unacceptable. They feed off all of this”, he said.

Machavariani emphasised that the reported visit to Russia demonstrates what he described as a contradiction between the opposition’s public rhetoric and its actions.

“The only conclusion that can be drawn is that they are fake, pseudo-liberal, far-left activists. They are hypocrites. They talk about something as if it were morally unimaginable to them, and then it turns out that they do exactly what they claim is morally unacceptable. They feed off all of this. Some are funded, some enjoy certain privileges, and some enjoy being in the spotlight because they are emotionally very damaged and find some kind of solace in it - for example, Ms. Bagdavadze as well”, he concluded.

Imedi TV contacted Teona Baghdavadze, but she attempted to deflect the issue with irony. Instead of responding to the message sent by the Imedi TV journalist, she published the journalist’s phone number on social media.